Quemu
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 27, 2007
- 984
- 133
I happen to be amongst people with such a condition
Whoa..I'm not alone, afterall
I just found out that the condition is called Lucid Dreaming. I picked up below article from www.dreamviews.com
Definition
Lucid dreaming is simply dreaming while being aware you are dreaming. You can think of lucid dreaming as being conscious while dreaming. If, by chance, during a dream it suddenly dawns on you that you are dreaming, then you have experienced a lucid dream, regardless of whether you have been able to attain control of your dream. Lucid dreaming is usually induced by some sort of cuesomething that indicates to the person that what he or she is experiencing is a dream, and not reality. Cues, however, are not necessary for becoming lucid: sometimes people spontaneously become lucid without noticing anything strange or typical of dreams. Lucid dreaming is a very simple concept but for most it will take patience and determination to achieve.
Many people seem ignorant of the distinction between having a lucid dream, and controlling a dream. Being able to freely control ones dream does not directly follow becoming lucid: one can have a lucid dream without any control whatsoever. Controlling your dream is simply proceeding to the next level, by attempting to exert your will upon your surroundings.
Misconceptions
Since lucid dreaming is a relatively unknown phenomenon, there are a number of misconceptions that encompass it:
Lucid dreaming is new-ageish
As stated in the introduction, many people when first introduced to the concept dismiss it as being bizarre and too new-ageish. In reality, lucid dreaming is whatever you want it to bebecause, after all, they are your dreamsand does not necessarily fall under the stigma of new-age. This site offers a very practical examination of lucid dreaming along with practical reasons for why one would want to endeavour to induce lucid dreams.
Lucid dreaming advocates escapism
Another misconception is that lucid dreaming advocates escapism. This site, by no means whatsoever, condones escapism. Lucid dreaming occurs while you are sleeping; it is not meant at all to infringe upon your involvement in the real world. Indeed, reading a book or watching a movie will take you out of the real world more than lucid dreaming will. The idea that lucid dreaming advocates escapism is valid only when one attempts to sleep more in order to induce lucid dreams. This site only suggests that one maintain a healthy sleep pattern to promote lucid dreamsan average of 7 or 8 hours a night is recommended.
Lucid dreaming is unnatural, involves "dark arts," or is occult related
Some misguided people immediately assume lucid dreaming must be a corrupt practice; this is just plain silly. Denunciations such as this are the direct result of fear of the unknownthis site hopes to dispel such ignorance. There is nothing inherently wrong or questionable with lucid dreaming; instead, there are many positive reasons to practice it. People who believe otherwise should first read about it before forming an opinion.
Dreams contain messages that are lost with lucid dreaming
Finally, many people take an intransigent stance against lucid dreaming based on their belief that our dreams are trying to tell us something, and we lose those messages by trying to alter our dreams. Thats a reasonable position to take, however, that idea is not entirely valid. First of all, most people that endeavour to have lucid dreams only have them occasionallyperhaps a few times a month. Some obviously will have them more often (perhaps several times a week or even in a night) but again for the most part, on average, those who attempt lucid dreaming still have more non-lucid dreams than lucid ones. Perhaps even more valid a point is that becoming proficient at lucid dreaming demands excellent dream recall. Thus, while practicing to become lucid in dreams you are also increasing your ability to remember your dreams, which as a by-product will provide you with more memorable dreams to sift through in search of hidden insight. Therefore one can practice lucid dreaming and still attain enough regular dreams so that he or she need not worry about losing something important